Ryu Hyun-jin picks up his second win of season

“It was the first time he was not sharp at all. He did not have much command. When you don’t have command, a lot of guys would crumble. He found a way to keep us in the game,” Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said of his starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin after his team beat the Oakland Athletics 10-4 in a road game played at Coliseum in Oakland, California on Thursday (local time), Ryu, who came off the injured list in 11 days, allowed four runs on six hits and walked one during six innings. His average ERA for the season rose from 2.60 to 3.31, and he did not give up more runs thanks to strikeouts he recorded (six) at every crucial moment.

When an ace crumbles, strong hitters can win the team a victory. The Blue Jays had 16 hits including two homers against Athletics pitchers, grating a victory to Ryu. Marcus Semien, who had played for Athletics for six years until last year, had a big day against the team, collecting four hits (one homer) in six at-bats, driving in a run, and scoring three runs.

Ryu is known for his ability to throw border-line pitches but his pitches got closer to the center of the strike zone on Friday. Ryu admitted after the game that his command was off as he lost his balance on the mound, adding he will have to go back and break it down tomorrow. “There was nothing wrong with me. I didn’t have to worry about anything physically,” Ryu said. He went on to say that he had some lingering pain for the first couple of days but he is feeling better now.

According to the set schedule, Ryu will start for Interleague play against the Atlanta Braves at True East Park in Atlanta on May 13. This means he will have to make a plate appearance in two years since he last did for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ryu said, smiling, that he had to get a new bat as he lost his old one.

The Blue Jays, which is a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto, will leave the TD Park in Florida next month to make Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, their temporary home for the second time. Ryu, who recorded an average ERA of 2.1 at Sahlen Field last year, said he will try to bring back the good feelings from last year on the mound.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com